Vocal guard for telephones.



PATENTED JUNE 2, 1903.

W D J. DUNIHUE. VOCAL GUARD FOR TELEPHONES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9. 10oz.

R0 MODEL.

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Patented June 2, 1903.

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. DUNIHUE, OF JAMESTOYVN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF TWO- TI-IIRDSTO WALLACE l3. CURTIS, OF JAMESTOVVN, NEYV YORK, AND JAY O. D. OURTISS,OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

VOCAL GUARD FOR TELEPHONES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 730,101, dated June 2,1903.

Application filed June 9, 1902. Serial No. 110,877. (No model) To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. DUNIHUE, of Jamestown, in the county ofChautauqua and State of New York, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Vocal Guards for Telephones, which improvement is fullyset forth in the following specification and shown in the accompanyingdrawings.

My invention relates to devices for muiiiing zo sounds generally, butmore particularly to the class of devices for muffling the voice, aswhile telephoning; and the object of the invention is to produce aflaring or bell-shape hollow body to guard the voice, adapted to incloseand cover the mouthpiece of the telephone at the small end and tosubstantially cover at the other or large end the face of the persontelephoning, to the end that bystanders or persons near may not hear thecommuzo nication taking place and that it may be private and heard onlyby the person addressed. This device is distinct and separate from thetelephone, forming no part thereof, being simply an independentinstrument ready at hand to be used at times or occasionally, as may berequired by persons telephoning. Ordinarily the device is hung orotherwise placed conveniently near the telephone ready to be taken upand used by any person who may go wish to communicate to anotherprivatelyas, for instance, in transacting the business in the office ofa stock-broker or banking-house.

The invention is hereinafter fully described, and more particularlypointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings,forming a part of this specification.

Figure l is a side elevation of my improved voice-muffling device orguard placed upon the mouthpiece of the telephone, as in use. Fig. 2 isa view looking into the flaring end of the device indicated by arrow 2in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view looking into the opposite end of the deviceindicated by arrow 3 in Fig. 1, 4 5 parts being broken away. Fig. 4: isa central longitudinal section of the device, taken on the dotted linein Fig. 2, more fully showing its connection with the coacting parts ofthe telephone. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the device, taken onthe broken dotted line 5 5 in Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings, A is the mouth-. piece ofthe'telephone, Z)being the collar thereof, and B my voice-guard, placed to cover at thelittle end the mouthpiece, as when in use. as This sound or voicemuffler is made of light fibrous materiah'as stiff paper,papier'mach,india-rubber, or similar substance, the nature of which acts normally todeaden or still the sound-waves of the voice. The body dof 6c the guardis made broadly flaring or bell shape, as shown, adapted to cover at thelarge end the face of the person telephoning from and including the chinto the eyes, the upper part a of the body being slightly extended orelongated to receive and cover the nose. At its small end the bell orbody (I is expanded and formed with a short cylindrical extension 0toinclose and cover the collar 1; of the mouthpiece A, said cylindricalpart 0 being strengthened or stiffened by a metallic band e. The inneror concave side of the cylindrical part c is covered by a-thick fibroussound-muffiing ring f, as of cloth or felt, which meets or comes incontact with the perimeter of the 7 collar Z2, as a means for deadeningor reducing sound-vibrations of the air about the mouthpiece.

To further quiet or destroy sound-vibrations, a diaphragm g,preferablyof india-rubbur, is placed across the annular surface at thebottom of the cylinder a transverse to the axis of the device, as shown,formed with a central circular opening it to allow it to pass over themouthpiece A of the telephone. The diameter of the opening his aboutequal to that of the smallest part Z of the mouthpiece, radial kerfs orslits i being made to admit of the opening to expand sufficiently toallow the diaphragm, to pass over the large 0 open end of themouthpiece. A reinforcingring 70, ofindia-rubber, is placed on the innerface of the diaphragm, at the outer ends of the kerfs and concentricwith the opening h, which serves to stiffen or strengthen the dia- 5phragm and to prevent the tearing of the latter at the ends of thekerfs. Thus con structed, when the device is put to place upon thetelephone for use the diaphragm will resume its normal shape afterhaving been passed over the large open end of the mouthpiece, and soclose down around the small part Z of the mouthpiece, as clearly shownin Fig. 4.

When this voice guard or muffler is put to place upon the mouthpiece ofthe telephone, the india-rubber diaphragm will bear directly against thefront side or surface of the collar b, as clearly shown in Fig. 4,constituting a soft or yielding packing or insulator between said collarand the adjacent part of the guard, serving to prevent vibrations and todeatlen vocal sounds. Furthermore, the bell d, covering the lower partof the face of the speaker and itself being practically closed by theface,serves to shut out external sounds, on account of which by usingthis device the words spoken into the mouthpiece of the telephone in anygiven case may be uttered at a very low keyordinarily just above awhisper-this being an additional safeguard against the communicationbeing heard by others than the person addressed. Muffied or indistinct"ocal sounds only can be heard by others near when one is telephoningwith the aid of this instrument, the words uttered being whollyindistinguishable to them.

In constructing this vocal guard I prefer to divide the metallic band e,as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, and hold the separated ends near together bya tangent screw m, passing through opposing lugs n n, rigid with therespective ends of the band. By means of this screw the pressure of themetal band upon the fiberous ringf may be regulated to cause the latterto be compressed at times to better or more snugly fit the outer convexsurface of the collar Z) of the telephone.

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. A voice-guard for use with telephones consisting of a flaring hollowbody distinct from the telephone to be held against the face, saidbodybeing adapted to have its small end passed over and inclose themouthpiece of the telephone, a sound muffling ring interposed betweensaid small end and the mouthpiece and a diaphragm of non-conductedmaterial carried by said small end to embrace the mouthpiece.

2. A voice-guard or sound-muffler for use with telephones, consisting ofa hollow body larger at one end than at the other to be held against theface, the small end of said body being open and adapted to pass over thetelephone-mouthpiece, a sound-muffling ring interposed between saidsmall end and mouthpiece and a perforated reinforced rubber diaphragmcrossing said small end of the body, substantially as and for thepurpose specified.

3. A device to guard the voice while telephoning, consisting of a hollowbody having unequal ends, the large end being adapted to cover the faceand the small end to pass over the mouthpiece of the telephone and bearagainst the collar thereof, said body having a cylindrical extension atits small end, provided within with a fibrous ring and Without with ametallic ring, substantially as and for the purposes stated.

4. A guard for the voice while telephoning, consisting of a flaringhollow body distinct from the telephone, adapted to be held against theface, the small end of said body being open and adapted to pass over thetelephonemouthpiece, and a perforated diaphragm crossing said open endof the body, the diaphragm having slits or kerfs extending outward fromthe opening through it, and a reinforcing-ring on the diaphragm at theends of the kerfs,-substantially as shown and set forth.

5. A guard for the voice, consisting of a hollow flaring body adapted,at its large and small ends, to cover the face and the mouthpiece of atelephone respectively, with means for compressing the small end of thebody, a diaphragm at said small end constructed to frictionally engagethe mouthpiece, substantially as set forth.

6. A guard for the voice, consisting of a hollow flaring body adapted,at its ends, to cover the face and the mouthpiece of a telephonerespectively, a yielding ring in the small end of the body, and ametallic band to compress the small end of the body within which saidyielding ring is located, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand, this 27th day of May,1902, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM J. DUNIHUE.

Witnesses:

EDWARD J. GREEN, ELLA W. GREEN.

IOC

